UK Defense Secretary Calls for Medal of Honor Ban

[kanarctic]

This guy thinks that somehow playing as a fanatic, who ironically would probably kill you for owning any game, somehow lends that same nut-job support or harms the memory of British soldiers? Bit of a stretch... maybe he doesn't understand the enemy he's fighting. Honestly he sounds more like Hugo Chavez going on about Mercenaries 2.

 

[Phoenixlight]

E.A. couldn't have asked for a better way to market their game. If someone's told not to buy a game because it contains conrtraversial material people are more likely to buy it just to see what it's like.

 

[ShakerSilver]

I find it hard to believe that playing as Terrorists in CS, the GLA (the most general [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/IncrediblyLamePun] archetype of Mid East Terrorists ever) in Generals, or Nazis in DoD or CoD is perfectly fine, but playing as the Taliban is down right blasphemous.

I understand what's going on in the war, how countless individuals were killed by the Taliban, but I also know that several innocent lives were killed by American and British forces as well. I'm not saying I support the Taliban (or any other side as a matter of fact),I'm just saying that there is plenty of flaws in this person's argument. Plus, it's a flippin' [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GoshDangItToHeck] game! It's not some recruitment program for the Taliban, it's a simulation of a war that just happens to let you play as the side the most people refer to as "bad."

Plus, what the heck does "Un-British" mean?

 

[Keava]

Funny how playing Nazi is fine and playing Taliban is not. In countless games, mostly strategy, you can take lead over the Third Reich army and no one complains despite the horrors that occurred during WW2. Modern conflict in middle east is hardly anything like internment camps set by Nazi's.

But yeah, it's fine, go play nationalistic bastard if you want, by god forbid you even try playing a Taliban. CS had terrorists as a side and everything was fine. It's that post AAO trend of political correctness, it's there where you always seen your enemy as terrorists/Taliban and you were always US Army no matter if you were team A or team B.

 

[ItsAPaul]

I sure as hell won't buy it, and it seems retarded that EA would think this would slip under the radar.

 

[jonnosferatu]

Yeah, people lost parents and other family members to the Taliban.

Last I checked, they lost parents and other family members to members of the armed forces of countries that are perfectly legit to play as, so I think it's a tad hypocritical, honestly.

 

[Evil the White]

I'm part of the UK, and I don't give a shit! Fow, piss off out of my country. It's not going to happen.

 

[mxfox408]

The constitution was written to be very simular to the magna carta and the united states is falling in the same direction as the uk, slowly people are loosing freedoms because you can be sued for looking at someone wrong(exageration) anyhow i believe everyone has a right to feel how they want and express how they to think otherwise then i suggest you move to a country that you have no such freedoms china for example.

Fail.. the UK does not have a written constitution.. Ireland has the old Bunreacht na hÉireann at least...

which is why I said Magna Carta......pay attention

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

I am the one who decides what is un-British. This is not un-British. Carry on folks.

 

[Booze Zombie]

"Too soon" isn't just an ironic punchline. Time does play a role in these things.

It's funny, though, he didn't mention all of the other games with The Taliban in them (Call of Duty 4 multiplayer), just this one... apparently, government is only offended by something when they're told.

 

[LWS666]

would they rather brittan vs america?

 

[Soviet Steve]

This isn't going far enough, America has undermined Britain for too long.

Declare war, nuke America, burn the white house, send in the redcoats and exterminate anyone with American connections inside Britain - and don't wait to talk about in parliment, we need the defence secretary to act now while there is still time!

 

[Nocta-Aeterna]

British defense secretary Liam Fox has urged retailers not to stock the upcoming Medal of Honor game, saying that he is disgusted that the game allows players to be the Taliban.

I remember I could play as the Nazis in the multiplayer of Brothers in Arms, and nobody made a fuzz of that.

 

[Zagzag]

Although this is never going to happen, I do see where Fox is coming from. Many Britons have been killed by the Taliban, and although including them in the game is perfectly justified, Fox has to be seen to support the British Armed Forces. Many people in the UK , Especially those who have lost relatives due to the Taliban, will be horrified by this game. The fact that not many of them are gamers does not make this any less important to consider.

 

[Jack and Calumon]

No... NO... NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!! How about you don't ban a game when we're trying to pay off debts you god damned government! We're up to our necks in debt and you want to take away a game which has the full blown potential to complete cash in for retailers? Is that what you want?

No-one complains when it's Nazi's we kill, but when it's the Taliban, a group of people which probably doesn't even have that many members and claims responsibility, and is a group that the press decide to interview every other tuesday, THEN it is wrong? Not the most evil army in the world, controlled by a man who slaughtered MILLIONS of Jewish people, merely because of what they believed in? Some of those people had no idea of their heritage, and still died because of the most absurd links! Strangely, apparently Hitlers Grandfather was Jewish, but he turned his nose up at himself the Hypocrite. Tell me, would you prefer us to march online and be these people, or them.

Oh sure, I understand the fact of the whole "Too Soon" thing, but guess what? The US originally supported the Taliban, and even provided arms, hoping that they would restore order to a war ravaged country. They did, but then got too big headed. Here we are, trying to stop them.

Okay... I have forgotten where I'm going with this. The point is...

Calumon: Here come's Jack's Midland Rage!

Jack is forgetting the millions of Salvs, the gays, the transgenders, gypsies and the Russians that Hitler rounded up and put to death just as gladly as any Jew. As Hitler saw, any that didn't fit into to his ideal of the Arian race was sub human and deserved to be gassed.

And we still are more angry that we may get to play as group (that we basically been playing in the Call of Duty games since 4, but never really named) that has only caused several bombings (most failed), hide in caves, and may not be respouncable for most of the acts they claimed to of done.

...

I just made Jack angrier didn't I?

Calumon: Yep, he's now Super Saiyan shouting at the nearest MP. Not words, just shouting.

 

[brunothepig]

Fox said that he found it hard to believe that anyone in the country would want to buy such an "un-British" game

I did laugh at this. It's just so... Stupid.
The way I see it, this should be welcomed. First, what exactly does Britain have against this? You probably won't be shooting many of their countrymen. I know it's not the only problem some might have with it, but it seems odd.
Apart from that, with this thinking we should be banning all the previous MoH games in Germany, and ban most wargames in a lot of countries really...
Lastly, isn't it more important to base games around current events? People need to get used to the idea that games are just as valid as an entertainment medium as movies, or even books, and can be just as informative. It could show people the horror in that country, or something.
Oh yeah, why don't they have a problem with playing as the British soldiers, shooting Germans or whatever? Do they think people will be embracing the Taliban ideals because they play for a few hours, shooting virtual representations of American soldiers? No, I really doubt it.
I actually like that EA is doing this. Apart from the welcome variety in setting, I've never been one for the sort of knee-jerk reactions from anything controversial, and I really hate how it can stifle games, or anything else really. So good on ya EA, I'll certainly be buying this game, if only to thank them.

 

[Gigano]

I couldn't be fucked to scan the entire thread, but I'm guessing most of the responses are of the predictably black-and-white, all-or-nothing, "if WW2 games are fine, so is this" variety.

Any of you ever fucking heard of deference?

It's when you respectfully abstain from "your mom" jokes whenever you're in the presence of that friend who lost his mother.

It's when you decide not to fight for the preservation of Native American mascots given you reside in the very country that decimated those populations.

It's when you recognize as disrespectful the simulated victory of the Taliban over your nation's armed forces while your nation's armed forces are currently fighting the Taliban.

"Too soon" isn't just an ironic punchline. Time does play a role in these things.

Why then should game developers not defer to the Muslim civilians who've been killed as collateral damage, and make NATO an unplayable side as well? The civilians aren't enemies, and surely it is also "too soon" for them?

And would a completely dehumanized enemy through who'se eyes you'll never get a chance to see not further the bad "black-and-white" approach to the whole thing?

At any rate, it's not the a government representative's job to try to verbally censor any statement that's not illegal; let private organisations complain about it and call for boycots. A government should rule its people by law, not condemning propaganda.